Sonora Council To Discuss Future Of Social Equity Committee
Sonora, CA — Whether to disband the City of Sonora’s Social Equity Committee will be discussed at Tuesday’s Sonora City Council meeting.
The committee was formed in June of 2020 following local and nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. There has been turnover on the committee and challenges to reach consensus on a draft city resolution related to racial matters. Click here to view the latest draft which will also be reviewed on Tuesday.
The council has heard concerns during recent public comment periods about the tone of earlier drafts and some people have made arguments that the resolution is unnecessary.
The committee is comprised of two council members and five people from the general public.
The committee earlier approved a Mission Statement reading, “To Strengthen the City’s understanding and capacity to recognize biases and eliminate racial disparities, heal racial divisions, and build a more equitable town.”
And a Vision Statement of, “A City where all are equipped to effectively lead, serve, and flourish in an inclusive and healthy community. A City in which people from all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are safe, welcome, and able to thrive socially, economically academically and physically.”
The committee’s remaining goals include finishing the more lengthy and specific city resolution, reviewing city policies on racial sensitivity and potentially doing racial sensitivity training for staff and council members.
The committee has been meeting twice a month since September of 2020 and the meeting documents not that it requires staff resources and time.
The council will discuss, and potentially vote on adopting, the latest draft of the resolution, and decide whether the committee should continue to operate moving forward. Tuesday’s meeting will start at 5pm at Sonora City Hall.
Other items on the agenda include a mid-year budget report and approving permits related to the Second Saturday Art Night annual summer concert series.
